Sushant Singh Rajput in ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’ and Russell Crowe in ‘Cinderella Man’
| Photo Credit: IMDB
Sitting inside the theatre for the first show of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, I felt the atmosphere of a packed cricket stadium. It’s as if the cheering crowd was waiting for the highlights — marked by fours, sixes, and crazy dismissals behind the stumps — of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s greatness.
A huge reach combined with big budgets has helped Bollywood attempt several sports biopics. But too much is too bad, and the industry has squeezed out the genre like a well-served tube of toothpaste. These days, Hindi sports biopics lack a distinct personality.
Thankfully, in 2016, director Neeraj Pandey’s film was a carefully crafted world-building process, showing Dhoni’s unusual journey towards cricketing greatness. I would recommend MS Dhoni: The Untold Story to anyone looking for an Indian sports biopic that balances entertainment with relatable storytelling.
Pandey’s challenge was interpreting the persona of a man who seldom spoke outside of press conferences and presentation ceremonies. He was majorly helped by Sushant Singh Rajput, who not only got the former Indian captain’s body language right, but also reflected Dhoni’s famed composed attitude with aplomb.
The film was released when Dhoni was still an IPL star and a fading Indian cricketer. As much as it was about the film’s craft, it was the easily recognisable aura of Dhoni which connected with people, especially those from the younger generation, who frequently fill up movie halls.
Perhaps for the same reason, Kabir Khan’s 83 didn’t stir them up. Are young movie lovers not bothered about our past? I laughed when a college student reacted in shock when an Indian batsman got out in one of the scenes from the movie. Don’t tell me he didn’t know the outcome of the 1983 cricket World Cup final!
Ranveer Singh in ‘83’
83 is a must-watch for its meticulous recollection (the casting is spot on, and the sporting moments are accurate) of an Indian cricket team that considered dreaming of winning the World Cup a nice joke till it got inspired by its captain, Kapil Dev. Ranveer Singh, playing Kapil, is superb as the classic underdog who tightly held on to his never-say-die spirit.
If you look beyond cricket, don’t miss Paan Singh Tomar. The film gets mentioned in discussions about Irrfan Khan’s all-time best performances. It deserves praise for showcasing a sport never under the limelight: steeplechase. The film is a gripping retelling of history, where a gifted athlete gets overshadowed by a rebellious mindset that forces him to become an outlaw.
The rags-to-riches angle is common in sports biopic. Cinderella Man (on boxing champion James J Braddock) and the Will Smith starrer King Richard (on father and coach of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams) tell stories of individuals who beat extraordinary hurdles to achieve their respective ultimate goals.
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Will Smith in ‘King Richard’.
| Photo Credit:
IMDB
It’s not always about narrating a winning story. Rivalries make sport irresistible. The Formula One movie Rush (James Hunt vs Nikki Lauda) and the underrated tennis film Borg vs McEnroe (Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe) are intense while depicting on and off-the-court/circuit battles.
This is an ever-evolving genre. Going forward, I wish there are films on sporting stars from the southern part of India. How about a biopic on Rahul Dravid, the quiet hustler who recently won India a World Cup as coach?
From The Hindu cinema team, a fortnightly column recommending films and shows tied to a mood, theme, or pop culture event.
